Car-coupling.



J. KELSO.

lGAR GOUPLING. APPLIoATmN FILED JAN. s, 1912.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

J. KELSO.

GAR GOUPLING. APPLICATION IILIID JAN. 3, w12.

1,037,490. Patented Sept. 3,1912.

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JOSEPH KELSO, OE PITTSBURGH,` PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE McCONWAY.&

TOB'LEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN-SYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3,1912.

Application led January 3,1912. ySerial No 669,147.

,and use the same.

My invention relates to the construction of car couplers of the verticalplane type and is more particularly directed to the production of astrong, durable and efficient device of this character which, by reasonof the compactness of its locking and knuckle opening mechanism, isespecially well adapted for use upon passenger cars. Generally stated, Iattain these objects by employing ya horizontally slidable lock for theknuckle and by combining therewith a horizontally rotatableknuckle-opener lever, the lock being recessed or chambered to receive aspring which is interposed between said lock and the knuckle-openerlever, and the knuckle-opener lever being adapted to rotate intoengagement with the lock to limit the expansion of the spring as well asto limit the forward movement of the 'lock when the knuckle is rotatedto open position; and such a construction embodies the principal featureof my invention.

In the drawings illustrating my invention, the scope whereof is pointedout in the claims, Figure 1 is a view of a car coupler embodying myinvention, a portion of the coupler head being shown in plan and aportion being shown in horizontal central section, and the knuckle,knuckle-opener and lock being shown in plan in locked positions; Fig. 2is a front elevation of the construct-ion shown in Fig. 1, the knucklebeing removed and the lock and knuckle-opener being in locked positions;Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section taken on the line 3-3, Fig. 1,; Fig.t is a detail view showing the knuckle-opener in plan and the knuckle,lock and a portion of the coupler head in horizontal central section,the parts being illustrated in the relation occupied when the coupler islocked; Fig. 5 is a de-r tail horizontal section taken on the line 5 5,

Fig. 2, the .parts being shown in the positions occupied when theknuckle has been rotated outwardly to open position; Fig. G 1s a detailsectional view illustrating the relation of the lock actuating device tothe lockland to the coupler head; Fig. 7 is a detail vertical sectiontaken on t-he line 7-7, Fig. 6; Figs. 8 and 9 are detail perspectiveviews of the lock; and Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view of theknuckle-opener.

Like symbols refer to like parts whereever they occur.

I will now proceed to describe my invention more fully, so that othersskilledin the art to which it appertains may apply the Same.

In thedrawings, l is the coupler head andy 2 is the knuckle, the couplerhead `being illustrated as of the type which ris connected to the carthrough the intermediacy of a plurality of draft stems, and the knucklebeing preferably pivotally connected to the head in the usual manner bymeans of a knuckle pin 3. The centerv draft stem 4, which may beconveniently formed in two parts so as to embrace a portion of thecouplerhead, is preferably connected to the soy latter by means of apivot pin or bolt 5.

Lugs la, la and 1b, l", which project lat erally from the coupler headafford means for pivotally connecting the side steins of the coupler tothe coupler head. y

Slidably mounted in the coupler headL l is a horizontally movable lockor catch 6 which, when in locked position, serves to prevent the outwardrotation of the knuckle 2. This lock member is formed with a springpocket or ychamber 6a that is adapted to receive a coiled spring 7 oneend of which rests upon the catch 6 and the other end of which bearsupon a rotatable knuckle opener lever 8. As more particularly shown inFig. 5, the rearward or unlocking movement of the lock 6v is limited bythe engagement of the shoulders 6b of the latter with the correspondingstop faces 1 of the coupler head. The unlockingmovement of the lock 6may be conveniently eifected through the instrumentality of a bell-crankunlocking lever 9 which may be pivotally mounted'beneath they couplerhead Ion the bolt or pivot pin 5 by which the center stem et isconnected to the coupler'head, said unlocking lever being provided witha lock-actuating pin 9L which extends upwardly through an arcuate slotld inthe lower wall of the coupler head and enters an openingor recesso"z formed in the lock 6C, the recess 6, as shown, being elongatedtransversely so as to allow the lock to move rectilineally while theunlocking lever 9 is turning upon its pivot. ment of the unlockinglever, as well as of the lock 6, is arrested by the engagement of theportion 9b of the unlocking lever with a stop or lug le which is formedon the under side of the coupler head adjacent to the forward end of thearc shaped slot ld therein.

The knuckle 2 is rotated to open or coupling position by means of ahorizontally rotatable knuckle-opener lever S which is pivotally mountedin the coupler head l by means of a pin or bolt 10. The inner end of thelniuckle-opener, or end upon which the spring 7 bears, is preferablyformed with a tapering stud 8a which extends into the interior of thespring and thus prevents the latter from becoming accidentallydisassocia-ted from the knuckle-opener when the coupler is in service.The outer end, 8b, of the knuckle-opener extends behind the tail of theknuckle 2 and operates to impart an opening rotation thereto when thespring 7 is energized by an unlocking movement of the lock 6 and theknuckle is free to rotate outwardly. For convenience of manufacture andease of assembly, the opening in the lever S for the reception of thepivot pin 10 is, as more particularly shown in Fig. l0, preferablyformed as a slot 8c leading in from the rear face of the knuckle-opener.

In order to attain a compact arrangement of parts the forward end of thelock 6 is preferably formed with a recess 6e which is adapted to receivethe inner or lock-engaging end of the tail of the knuckle 2; and theside of the lock 6 which is adjacent t0 the knuckle-opener lever 8 isrecessed or slotted to vreceive a portion of the knuckleopener, as moreparticularly shown in Figs. fi, 5 and 8.

Projecting upwardly from the upper face of the knuckle-opener 8 is a lug8d Which, as shown in Fig. 5, is adapted to move into the path oflocking movement of the lock 6 and to engage the inclined face 6d uponthe adjacent side thereof when the knuckleopener lever has performed itsknuckle opening rotation. This engagement of the lug 8(l with the face6d of the lock not only serves to limit the outward rotation of theknuckle-opener S but also serves to limit the outward or lockingmovement of the lock 6, the extent of expansion of the spring 7 beingthus jointly controlled by the lock and ,knuckle-opener and allliability of `it jumping out of its receiving chamber 6EL in the lock Gor becoming unseated from the knuckle-opener 8 being thus overcome.

The construction and arrangement of the several elements of thecoupler'being substantially such as hereinbefore pointed out,

The lockin 0' movethe operation of the device will be as foilows:Assuming the parts to be in locked or coupled position, as illustratedin Figs. l, 2, 3, t, 6 and 7, an unlocking rotation of the bell-cranklever 9 causes the lock 6 to slide rearwardly, thus compressing thecoiled spring 7. When the lock 6 has been withdrawn sufficiently topermit the knuckle 2 to rotate outwardly, the spring` 7 expands, thusrotating the knuckle-opener lever around its pivot pin 10 and causingthe outer end Sb of the knuckle-opener to impart a strong rotativeimpulse to the tail of the knuckle 2, thereby impelling the knuckle torotate to open or coupling position as illustrated in Fig. 5. `When theknuckle 2 is rotated inwardly to locked or coupled position from thecoupling position, shown in Fig. 5, the rear face of the tail of theknuckle 2 engages the outer end 8b of the 11inuckle-opener 8, forcingthe latter to rotate upon its pivot pin l0. As the inner end 2 of theknuckle tail prevents the lock 6 from moving forwardly while theknuckle-opener is being forced rearwardly by the knuckle, this rotationof the knuckle-opener S causes the spring 7 to be energized, so thatwhen the knuckle 2 has rotated inwardly sufficiently far to permit thelock 6 to move forwardly the latter will be forced to locked positionand there maintained against accidental unlocking` by the spring 7.

I claim:

l. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, a knuckle-openerlever movably mounted on said coupler head, a spring operativelyinterposed between said lock and said knuckleopener lever, and coactingmeans upon said lock and said knuckle-opener lever that are movable intoengagement to limit the extent of movement of the lock in a lockingdirection when the knuckle is rotated to open position.

2. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, a horizontally slidable lock for saidknuckle, a horizontally rotatable knuckle-opener lever pivotally mountedon the coupler head, said lock being slotted to receive saidknuckle-opener, a spring interposed between said lock andknuckle-opener, and a lug on said knuckle` opener which is adapted tomove into engagement with the lock to limit the movement of the lattertoward locked position when the knuckle is rotated to open position.

3. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, a horizontally slidable lock for saidknuckle, said lock having an inclined face, a knuckle-opener leverpivotally mounted on the coupler head, and a spring interposed betweensaid lock and knuckle-opener, and a lug on said knuckle opener leverwhich is adapted to move into engagement with the inclined face of saidlock .to thereby limit the movement of the latter toward locked positionwhen the knuckle is rotated to open position.

il. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle slidably mounted onthe coupler head, a knuckle-opener lever, a pivot pin on which saidknuckle-opener is rotatably mounted, a spring interposed between saidlock and knuckle-opener, said lock being slotted to receive a portion ofthe knuckle-opener and being recessed to receive the inner end of thetail of the knuckle, and said knuckleopener being slotted to receive apivot pin, and a lug on said knuckle opener lever which is adapted toextend into the path of movement of and to engage the lock to therebylimit the movement of the latter toward locked position when the knuckleis rotated to open position.

In testimony whereof I atiX my signature, in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH KELSO.

litnesses J. W. HARTLEY, F. D. EoKnR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for vc cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C.

